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January 2021 by Roque R.
Ruth was extremely hard to communicate, failed to return phone calls and when I emailed her, she didn't get back to me. She closed my file because travel plans changed even though I communicate with her every step of the way. When the pandemic hit, I knew there would be some issues, but when I finally reached her she never send the passports for my dogs, she failed to book flights even when she claimed that no flights are booked sooner than 2 weeks. I needed flights book early 30-45 days due to arrangements for my flight and the shipping of personal items, she new all this info, yet when I explained this, she was rude. She took my money, she became elusive after I declined their kennels and she never responded to my emails and calls . Luckily, I found a different company from Florida, "Starwood" who have been very helpful I would not recommend their servicesShe will take your money and run.I have all the email to prove it!!
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December 2020 by Tamilyn Mendiola
Wish I could give 5 stars but a few hiccups:- Communication probably could have been a little better, timely, or reply sooner. I only had one point of contact, Ms. Ruth. I tried to be considerate of maybe their workflow, maybe they can make a follow-up schedule to reply back more timelier. I would just request a better follow-up workflow. Do your part as a customer to make sure you follow-up and ask for statuses if you feel like you're waiting too long. I had to ask for follow-u statuses a few times if I was waiting too long. Friendliness of Ms. Ruth's costumer service and her assistance was still worth everything. Sweet lady.- I bought a medium size crate that I ended up not using and it was non-refundable. Miscommunication on some parts and partially could've been me. In the beginning I didn't mention my dog is an ESA. My understanding from verbal instructions at the time was if my pet is an ESA, I still had to buy a crate and he would be an inflight cabin. Maybe I don't understand inflight cabin. I provided a document mentioning my dog is an ESA, I wish I was told in the beginning I did not need the crate when I was receiving additional instructions for ESA documents. Two weeks before my flight, Ms. Ruth asked if I have already purchased a dog carrier bag, I was confused because I already bought the crate not knowing he can sit with me, and she says he's an ESA and can be in the passenger seat with me so the crate was unnecessary.- Since my dog didn't need a crate I had to buy a dog carrier bag so he can fit under the passenger seat or my lap. I carried the dog carrier bag but he didn't use it at all, which is fine. It's good to have one for safety. My flight had one stop; so two flights he was on my lap because he didn't want to be under the passenger seat. I'm wondering if it was possible for me to have bought a seat ticket for him so it would've been an easier and more comfortable flight and I didn't mind the price. I chose United Airlines so I suggest researching their policy. What I remember being told was United Airlines doesn't allow seat purchases for pets. Unless I was told that because it's probably only allowed for ESA and I didn't bring it up in the beginning. So I wish it was brought up if it was an option when I was being given the ESA instructions. So please research United Airlines policy, maybe passenger seat and lap really are the only option.- I received a cute care package/travel kit with a lei from Akonapet and I just want to mention the red leash. The instructions was to use the leash, DON'T. My dog is 20lbs and the leash doesn't secure properly, it will keep opening. He kept getting loose easily when I was checking in at the airport so I switched to my regular retractable leash. Appreciate the leash thought though and the cute travel kit.Besides the hiccups, I really appreciate this company because I wouldn't have been able to do the difficult parts!! They provided all the required documents and I probably would've missed many if I did this on my own. They kept track of the many required deadlines and they still got them done timely. They made the arrangements with United Airlines for all my stops so my transition from check-in and airports were smooth. Flying to Hawaii a rabies titer was required. They took care of All the important things that really mattered and for those things I am grateful. Thank you Ms. Ruth for our safe travels!!!Suggestions for future customers:- It's okay to do your part on asking for statuses if you feel like you haven't heard anything in a while. Communicate effectively and respectfully, I received great help in return.- If your pet is an ESA or not, check the policy of the airline you are flying if you can buy a seat, if pet has to be under passenger seat or lap, or luggages cabin. Research if crate is the only option if pet is not ESA, or dog carrier bag can be used for both ESA and non-ESA pets. What ever your situation is, ask questions and research for y
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December 2020 by Ellie Cummings
Its all a lie. I am on Oahu. I paid a fortune to get my precious fur babies over here. They were supposed to be here on September 25,...Akona Pet sent all of their travel documents, what they passports to the wrong address. Ruth Wyland, blamed everything on us, even though we started our contract in April of 2020. We are here on Oahu. No dogs. Thank you Akona Pet for nothing. We did everything for 8 months to get our dur babies here. Paid every fee. Hawaii agriculture cashed our check. We our out about $1000, thanks to Akona Pet. Our poor dogs have had test after test and so many rabie shots. Still not here. Akona Pet is a horrible business. I will be taking legal action. Not for me, but for the poor defenseless animals that they claim to deliver.
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December 2020 by LM Cummings
No stars!!! This company completely stold my money. I contracted with them, April 6th, 2020. I have done everything on my end to get my two precious fur babies, Lily, a maltese, and, Charlie, a long dog, to Oahu. Here I sit 7 months later, $$$$ gone, and no dogs. I will be filing a lawsuit when I get back to the mainland. My dogs will be waiting for us when we get home. I would love to do a class action suit. I'm not the only one this company has screwed over.
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December 2020 by Oralia Medellin
My wife and i hired Akona Pets to move our dog Toby and what a NIGHTMARE! DO NOT USE them. Ruth is horrible to work with. She is rude, doesn't return calls, text or emails and makes this process one thousand times more stressful. DO NOT USE them , read others reviews which are all the same.
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December 2020 by S McNally
Terrible communication. Ruth returns phone calls until she gets your deposit and then disappears off the face of the planet. She couldn’t be bothered to return emails or calls and then blamed her voicemail. We’ll be seeing her in small claims court.
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December 2019 by Alison Cahill
Please read and believe the reviews. Working with Ruth was a painful experience; she made the entire process stressful; she is dishonest, disorganized and rude; and she has zero accountability for the mistakes made on her/the company's end.My advice would be to work directly with your vet (if you have a good one -- they know how this process works) and/or use another pet service (I’ve heard and read good things about Island Pet Movers). And if you need support with an inter-island transfer/layover, consider flying with the pets yourself or pay to have someone you trust do it. One of our vet techs said they would have gladly flown with the dogs -- having witnessed what we went through with this company -- and that (paying for a ticket and cheap hotel for a couple nights) still would have saved us a lot of money.I’m not big on giving credit to or posting negative reviews (in fact this is the first time I’ve done it) but I really wish I’d done my homework before working with this company, especially for something as emotional and complex as relocating your beloved animals to Hawaii. Our purpose in hiring a company to help with this process was to reduce the stress and complexity involved in this process — but this company, particularly Ruth, only provided the opposite while charging thousands of dollars. It was a nightmare from the start, and I strongly considered cancelling the flight altogether in the 11th hour (and losing $2,000+ dollars). AkonaPet knew we had an urgency to move the dogs and all state quarantine paperwork had been filed through them at that point -- so they had us by the proverbial balls, which meant they could treat the situation and us however they chose (and they did -- and it was a terrible feeling). At 7.5 months pregnant when the dogs finally flew, I was an emotional wreck because of this company's disorganization, dishonesty and negligence. The only positive in the entire situation is that the dogs arrived safely, but in hindsight I know that was possible without all the stress and confusion created by AkonaPet.Do your homework, take the bad reviews to heart (my experience is consistent with the other negative reviews about the company and Ruth) and find another way to move your pets. I can assure you there are better, smoother, more transparent, less stressful and complex ways to make it happen.
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December 2019 by Elijah Bannister
I’ve been working with Ruth, And she’s made things very easy for me and my dog. I am moving to Hawaii July 5th and with very short notice Ruth managed to get all of our questions answered, all paperwork including fees details, certificates and vaccinations requirements were emailed to us after giving Ruth our deposit. Everything continues to be easy for me and my girlfriend to get our little one home thanks to the help of AkonaPet.
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December 2019 by deborah hurchanik
This is the WORST pet movers ever! Pls dont not trust this company. Specifically ruth, an agent that works for this company!This was a complete nightmare that resulted my pup in EMERGENCY CARE!.***PLEASE IF YOU WANT YOUR COMPANION HOME AND SAFE, GO ELSEWHERE!****After this experience I used island pet movers to complete what akona could not. Now that is top notch!I would be happy to talk to anyone that would want specifics. Shipping a loved animal is so stressful and Akona was of no help with this process.
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December 2019 by Laura Mendoza
They did an amazing job. There is a lot of paperwork but Ruth walked us through every step of the way. I have a 100 lb.. pitbull and 2 cats and to see their faces after the flight and to know they were ok was worth the money to me.Definitely recommend!!!
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December 2018 by Sarah Fisher
I reached out to this company about 3 weeks ago after an internet search. I submitted our information for a quote and a woman named Ruth called me back. She was very vague about the cost, said she could not give me the exact information until I signed a contract. As anyone planning a move to Hawaii knows, it is really expensive, so having an idea of what the cost will be, is important. I asked several questions and Ruth was rude and condescending, like I should know the answers which kind of left a bad taste in my mouth but having no knowledge of another company at the time, I decided to move forward. I sent an email to Ruth twice asking her to remind me of the measurements needed, she finally responded back and that is where the communication ended. I responded with his measurements and then followed up a day later requesting a time to discuss details and nearly a week later, I have heard nothing. It was at that point I got online to look at their reviews, which I should beforehand...wow! Good customer service is clearly not high on their priority list, when given the opportunity to respond and make things right they only further confirm the general feeling about them. Aloha air cargo recommended Island Pet Movers, they are responsive and give you a quote so that you know what you’re getting yourself into and they also have great reviews to back this up. We have signed our contract and will be working with them since clearly Akona does not want our business.Response to the below reply.I originally reached out on the 20th of October and was told that I would need to give her my dogs measurements to tell me if my dog needed to go to Honolulu which was an additional cost. I was NOT quoted any amount of money by the company only that it would be an additional cost. Ruth stated that I would only be able to get a quote after I paid the deposit. After a couple of weeks of worrying about other stuff regarding my move (which is not for another 2 months) I wrote the company back to find out the exact measurements needed. That was November 12th. The following day I sent the same email because she did not respond. When she did get back to me, I sent the measurements and asked about the deposit as I was ready to move forward. I received no response. That was November 13th...I then sent a follow up message the next day and again received no response, despite clearly indicating in my previous message that I was ready to do business with them. “How much do we need to pay upfront or is it all at once? How does it all work? He’s like one of our children, very sweet, but a big scaredy-cat so I’m just curious of the process. Does someone stay with him the whole time?“ in this same email I sent a picture of my dog who had just turned one, in his birthday hat which was adorable (@koaking17 on Instagram if you don’t believe me ?). Being a company in the business of working with animals, I thought I’d send his best picture so they knew who they’d be working with. It is ridiculous to imply I just sent a picture of my dog without the information requested lol! This is not me declining them, this is me asking questions about how to get started nor is it me being unwilling or unable to pay, she flat out did not respond to my request.Of course after leaving this review, I received a follow up message, 6 days later at which time I advised them I was taking my business elsewhere.Again Ruth, as I explained in my email messages to you...you all have these opportunities to right the feelings of your customers and potential customers but instead you get defensive, flat out lie about what transpired, even though I have every email between us that clearly backs me up and cast blame on the people who would be spending well over a thousand dollars to use your services. To be honest it was your responses not the actual complaints that sealed the deal for me as I’m aware people complain and can be difficult and those are typically the same people who do leave reviews. Why would I want to hire you, if this is the treatment people receive?
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December 2018 by Oil OnCanvas
I used their service 5 years ago, and how absolutely horrible my experience was with them is still on my mind.Everything went wrong; the plane tickets were wrong (had to repurchase tickets), the times set were incorrect, etc......they never responded to any of my phone calls. I left messages and I was simply ignored. This service is horrible, as soon as they have your $ they do not care about you or your pets.My dogs are my children, they are more then family members to me and this service cause me so much trouble and never responded to My calls. They are a complete con.Scammer - Beware if you care for your pets.They are so bad they have deleted the Facebook page because of bad reviews, They simply are scammers.
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December 2018 by Diana Chesterfield
STAY AWAY!! They will sure take your money, but if your plans change watch out ... they will keep your money even upon saying you'll be getting a refund. They won't answer your calls or emails.
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December 2017 by Wina
Horrible service that takes your money and runs!!Ruth was responsive in providing a quote and preparing the contract. Luckily, we already had the forms needed for our dogs arrival so I just needed someone to help coordinate with the travel portion. We signed the contract on December 3, paid $332.50 and agreed on a flight date of January 17. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture requires the application form to be sent out at least 10 days prior to your pet's arrival. I began emailing Ruth on January 3 to confirm the January 17th travel date. After a total of fours emails and one voicemail, Ruth was completely unresponsive. My last email dated January 6th stated that if she did not get back to me by 5pm that day, I will need to cancel my contract.I'm still holding onto the original rabies certificates required by the Hawaii dept of Ag that should already have been mailed and Ruth is nowhere to be found. I had no choice but to move on and dispute the deposit. While the credit card company called Ruth with me on the line, Ruth actually picks up the phone! Ruth then denies that she ever received any of my emails even though I was just replying to her old message. She even said that she never received my voicemail.Guess what? The credit card company took her side even though she was in breach of her own contract. The only statement that the credit card company cared about was when Ruth stated "no refunds after 7 days." It sounds like Ruth knows how to play the game because she also knew exactly what to say during our conversation. The credit card rep even felt bad but there was nothing she could do. The only way to get a refund now is through small claims court.*Update* The credit card company provided us with a credit after investigating further. Check their yelp reviews (hidden & shown) BBB history, and #akonapet tag for more customer complaints. Buyer beware.
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December 2017 by Dawn Roderigas
Exceptional Service! It is far from easy to relocate pets to Hawaii. Whether it is for a permanent move or just a quick vacation, the rules and regulations regarding pets being granted entry to the Hawaiin Islands is extremely complicated and lengthy. After becoming overwhelmed with the process and unsure if I was correctly managing the paperwork, I decided to use a Pet Shipping Service and I chose Akona Pet.Ruth at Akona Pet has been amazing throughout the entire process. I have had a great experience with this company since day 1. They take care of everything! Crates, flights, & most importantly they make sure your paperwork is in order and correct for clearing Quarentine. I could not have made a permanent move with my pets to Hawaii without Akona Pet.It is sad that people post such negative reviews in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of others. My experiences have been nothing like the bad reviews posted. I honestly do not believe them at all! Every phone call, every e-mail, every communication I've had with Akona Pet has been exceptional in service. These guys really know what they're doing and I highly recommend them.
